SC judge B R Gavai recuses himself from hearing Param Bir Singh’s plea

By Express News Service

NEW DELHI:  A new bench of the Supreme Court will now hear the petition filed by former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh for a CBI inquiry into his complaint against Mumbai Police threatening him to withdraw his graft charge against former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh.
When the matter came up on Tuesday before a Vacation Bench of Justices Vineet Saran and BR Gavai, the latter said, “I cannot hear the matter.” 

During a brief argument, senior advocate Puneet Bali  representing Param Bir Singh claimed that a witch-hunt is on against him ever since he wrote a letter on March 20 to the chief minister, exposing the extortion racket run by the then Maharshtra home minister Anil Deshmukh. The bench directed the petition to be listed before another bench in view of the reservation expressed by Justice Gavai. 

Singh had accused Deshmukh of running an extortion racket through the police department. The assistant sub inspector, Sachin Waze, who was allegedly tasked with collecting `100 crore a month from bars and restaurants in Mumbai, has since been dismissed by the incumbent Mumbai police  commissioner.  Waze was earlier arrested by the National Investigation Agency in connection with the Antilia bomb scare and the death of a Mumbai businessman Mansukh Hiren.

In his plea, Singh has accused Mumbai Police’s inquiry officer of threatening to foist multiple injuries and investigations on him if he does not withdraw his complaint against Deshmukh.  The Maharashtra government had earlier stated before the Vacation Bench of Bombay High Court that they will not arrest Singh in an FIR registered against him in Thane.

The FIR was registered against Singh and 32 others based on a complaint by Inspector Bhimrao Ghadge at Akola, which was transferred to Thane in April. Singh claimed the FIR alleged commission of offences in 2015 and was belatedly registered after having failed in an attempt to pressurise him to withdraw the complaint letter to Maharashtra chief minister  levelling corruption charges against Deshmukh